Government

Jefferson Hills Municipal Center

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Structure

Jefferson Hills operates under a Borough form of government.
This means that the Borough is run by an elected seven member
council and mayor. Additionally, the Borough is home to an
administrative staff run by the Borough Manager which runs the day
to day operations of the Borough and implements the goals and
objectives set forth by the Borough Council.

Safety

Jefferson Hills is served by its own police department, which is
based in the Jefferson Hills Municipal Center. The police force is
staffed by 16 police officers along with several community service
personnel.

The Jefferson Hills Police Department participates in a number
of community based programs such as the Drug Abuse Resistance
Education (DARE) program in the local West Jefferson Hills
School District. Additionally, the police department is a
member of the TUPPER project which is a collaborative effort which
includes police departments from nine nearby communities. Under
this project, all participating departments can access regional
criminal information instantly. The Borough’s police are also
participants in Pennsylvania Attorney General's Regional Narcotic
Task Force and the South Hills DUI task
force.

The Borough is also served by the Jefferson Hills Emergency
Management and Fire Rescue, which employees volunteer
firefighters to provide fire protection for the community. The Fire
Department has three locations spaced throughout the community
which are: Floreffe Volunteer Fire Company, Gill Hall Volunteer
Fire Company, and Jefferson 885 Fire Company.[8] Each of
the fire companies have mutual aid pacts with all of the
immediately adjacent South Hills communities.

Crime

The crime rates in Jefferson Hills are extremely low and well
below both state and national averages. The rates below apply to
2005 which was the latest year that FBI’s Uniform Crime Rate Report
had crime statistics for the Borough. The crime rates are based per
100,000 people.

Geography

According to the United States Census
Bureau, the borough has a total area of 16.6 square miles
(43.0 km²), of which, 16.6 square miles (42.9 km²)
of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it
(0.24%) is water.

The terrain of the Borough includes rolling hills and wooded
areas. Jefferson Hills' southern border sits on the floodplain of
the Monongahela River.[13] There
are three streams flowing through the Borough which are Peters
Creek, Beam Run, and Lewis Run.[14]

Climate

Jefferson Hills falls into the northern edge of the humid subtropical climate
zone. A humid subtropical climate
zone results in the Borough experiencing four distinct seasons with
hot and humid summers and long, cold, snowy winters. Precipitation is spread
fairly evenly throughout the year with its peak in May. On average Jefferson Hills sees about 13 days
of precipitation a month.[15] The
warmest month of the year is July with an average high of 85°F
(29°C).[16]
The Borough experiences its coldest month in January with average lows dipping down to 20°F
(-7°C).[16]
The lowest recorded temperature is -19°F (-28°C) which occurred in
1994.[16]
In 1998, Jefferson Hills experienced its highest temperature ever
in July with a temperature of 101°F (38°C).[16]

Demographics

As of the census[19]
of 2000, there were 9,666 people, 3,781 households, and 2,688
families residing in the borough. The population density was 583.5 people
per square mile (225.2/km²). There were 3,954 housing units at an
average density of 238.7/sq mi (92.1/km²). The racial makeup
of the borough was 96.76% White, 1.31% African
American, 0.17% Native
American, 1.09% Asian, 0.14%
from other
races, and 0.53% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any
race were 0.69% of the population.

There were 3,781 households out of which 31.7% had children
under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples living
together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present,
and 28.9% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up
of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years
of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the
average family size was 3.04.

In the borough the population was spread out with 24.0% under
the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from
45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median
age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 91.7 males. For
every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $50,615,
and the median income for a family was $60,767. Males had a median
income of $43,972 versus $36,052 for females. The per capita
income for the borough was $23,006. About 2.7% of families and
4.1% of the population were below the poverty line,
including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or
over.

History

“

The total area of the
Borough of Jefferson is 16.8 square miles or 10,752 Acres. Its
history dates back to January 22, 1828 when it was created as a
Township from the old Township of Mifflin. At that time, the
community was called “Jefferson Township” in honor of Thomas
Jefferson.

The Oak Noggin Bed & Breakfast

In 1845, Snowden Township was formed from a part of Jefferson
Township. Population of the Township in 1860 was 1,601 persons, in
1870 it was 2,066 persons and reached a total population of 3,227
persons in 1880 (about equal to the population of 1930). Jefferson
Township became a First Class Township in 1914 and in 1950
Jefferson was chartered as a Borough. The Borough of Pleasant Hills seceded
from Jefferson Township in 1947 and by so doing, drastically
reduced the population and urbanized area of the Township.

The Borough is located along the southern border of Allegheny County and is primarily
residential in nature with approximately one-third of its area
presently being used for residential purposes. The residential use
is primarily single family dwellings with slightly over one percent
being multiple family units. Another third of the Borough exists in
the form of open space and or vacant ground with the balance being.
made up of industrial, commercial, mining, farming, etc. The major
portion of the Borough of Jefferson drains into two watersheds, the
Peters Creek Watershed which ultimately drains into the Monongahela
River at Clairton, and the Calamity Hollow and West Elizabeth watershed which drains to
the Monongahela River in the vicinity of
West Elizabeth Borough.

Present development has occurred almost exclusively in the flat
upland areas. These developments are scattered and separated by
large open tracts and or hills and valleys.

Education

West Jefferson Hills
School District

The Borough of Jefferson Hills is a member of the West Jefferson Hills School District. The West Jefferson Hills
School District provides quality education for approximately
3,000 students and consists of three elementary schools, one middle
school, and one high school.[22]
Resolute in maintaining its exemplary reputation for excellence,
the District is organized in a K-5, 6-8, and 9-12 plan offering
full academic and athletic programs.[22]

Educational support programs with teams of trained personnel are
available in each of the five District buildings to assist students
who are experiencing learning or emotional difficulties.
Partnerships with local school districts, post-secondary
educational institutions, organizations, corporations, and
neighboring businesses further enhance the educational
opportunities offered to District students.[22]

School
Athletics

Thomas Jefferson has a long history of sports excellence. Most
recently the Thomas Jefferson Football
team has won the state title in 2004, 2007, and 2008. The football
team also won the state title in 1980. Additionally, the Jaguars
won the PIAA
boys soccer championship in 2002.

Mon Valley
School

The Mon Valley School provides
its student with a range of options and opportunities based upon
their needs and interests. Mon Valley provides vocational
opportunities for exceptional students to enhance learning and to
ensure that all students are equipped to function effectively in
the workplace. The Mon Valley School provides students with
training in a wide variety of fields from clerical and technical
skills to auto service training.

Steel Center
Area Vocational Technical School

The Steel Center Area Vocational Technical School
provides career and technical training to 11 high schools in
southern Allegheny County. They offer a half day curriculum for
students in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. While at the Steel
Center Area School students are offered a wide curriculum of
training opportunities including fields such as auto mechanics,
advertising and design, and computer information systems. The Steel
Center Area School also offers adult education programs for local
residents in the fields of auto mechanics, nursing assistants, facility maintenance,
and manicurist
technician/esthetic skin care.

Jefferson Hills Public
Library

Jefferson Hills Public Library

Jefferson Borough Library
was founded in 1959 by the joint efforts of the Jefferson Borough
Lions' Club and a group of
private citizens. Library shelving was initially placed in the
Council Chambers and later moved to the renovated basement of the
Municipal Building at 3008 Old Clairton Road.

Under the leadership of Charlotte Hill and Madeline Conklin,
volunteers were organized to staff the library. The library was
financed by a yearly donation from the Borough Council, donations
from the Lions' Club, local businesses
and citizens. Legislative grants were also received over the
years.

Volunteers staffed the library until 1963 when Joyce Schmidt was
hired as a librarian. Joyce and her volunteers worked to help the
library grow for the next 30 plus years.

In October 1992, the library moved into the newly erected
Municipal Center at 925 Old Clairton Road.

Today under the leadership and direction of an appointed Library
Board and Library Director, the library is growing rapidly into the 21st
century.

The library is now open 50 hours per week. With the addition of
computers connected to the World Wide Web and WiFi, as well as a collection
of approximately 32,000 books, audio tapes, DVD's and file
materials the library is entering yet another exciting time in its
development.[29]

Recreation

Andrew Reilly Memorial Park

Municipal
Parks

Jefferson Hills offers many recreational opportunities for its
residents. The municipality operates five parks including Gill Hall
Park, Andrew Reilly Memorial Park, Lobb’s Park, Beedle Park, and
Tepe Park spread throughout the community. These parks offer a
variety of amenities from various sports fields, tennis and
basketball courts, and playground equipment. Additionally, the
Borough has several pavilions and the Gill Hall Community Center
available to rent to Borough residents.

Utilities

Electricity generation in Jefferson Hills is supplied by both
Allegheny Power and Duquesne Light. Natural Gas service for the
Borough is supplied by Equitable Gas Company. Waste Management
handles the trash removal and recycling for Jefferson Hills.